Until recently, hearing aids were rarely advertised. Maybe that’s because there weren’t many choices a few years ago. Those who bought hearing aids complained of static and unwanted noise, and they still couldn’t hear properly. Now the technology has improved just in time for the baby boomers as they reach the age when many can expect hearing loss as a natural result of the aging process. No wonder there is competition for the hearing aid dollar.

My order triggered an onslaught of more amazing offers for other PSAs and for hearing aids. A PSA is not the same as a hearing aid although the ads for both look remarkably similar. A PSA increases volume only. A hearing aid uses technology in the circuitry inside the aid to break down sounds into different frequencies. Some frequencies can be amplified more than others, especially the higher tones that help distinguish between words that begin to sound the same. In my case, for example, were words like “bug” and “bud,” “bread” and “red,” “nine” and “ninety.”

Federal law requires a medical evaluation by a licensed physician before purchasing hearing aids. PSAs do not. It came as no surprise when Dr. Miley, my regular ear, nose and throat specialist, ascertained that, yes, I would benefit from hearing aids.

I went shopping locally and suffered sticker shock: prices in the thousands, not hundreds, of dollars. Even then, the quoted price is for one aid and two seem always to be recommended (50 percent off for the second aid seems to be standard).

Page 2 of 2 - “If you were my wife, I’d take out a loan, if necessary, to buy you the best hearing aid possible,” one representative told me.

“Hmm,” I hesitated, thinking that, if I still had a husband, he’d be more apt to take out an $8,700 loan for a car than he would for hearing aids. “I’ll have to think about it.”

I ended up paying $4,400 for hearing aids from another local company, but not before checking prices online, where I thought they’d surely be less expensive. No, the same model with the same accessories cost $47 more online.

At $4,400, the hearing aids were the most expensive purchase I’ve made in years. Are they worth it? Yes. I can now hear most people most of the time.

If you have a hearing loss, you too might find the right hearing aids make life more enjoyable for you and those around you. Just be forewarned: finding the right hearing aids is a complicated, and expensive, process.

Oak Ridge resident Barbara Gunn is a frequent columnist for The Oak Ridger.